Five Historic Homes And Two Houses Of Worship On Tour This Month In Oxford

OXFORD — Oxford Historical Society will sponsor a Historic Homes and Church Tour on Saturday, September 25, from 10 am to 2 pm. The tour will feature five homes and two churches.

Included in the tour will be the Old Mill on Park Road, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Abel Wheeler House and former Duncan home on Oxford Road near the upper green; and the Moody Browne House and the old Buckingham homestead on Riggs Street. In addition, the tour will include stops at Oxford’s two oldest churches – Oxford United Church of Christ Congregational and St Peter’s Episcopal Church.

The Old Mill on Park Road is thought to is among the nation’s longest-continuously operating mills. The mill has been converted into a unique residence, now owned by William Emerson.

Originally a grist and cider mill, Captain John  Wooster, an Oxford Tory whose family played a role in the famous Chauncey Judd kidnapping, owned it at the time of the American Revolution. William and Sheldon Church later operated the mill.

Sheldon Church was the father of Stephen B. Church, the man whose will included a bequest to the Town of Oxford for the construction of the million-dollar S. B. Church Memorial Town Hall.

The Abel Wheeler House, just north of the congregational church, was the home of Samuel Pierpont Sanford, who owned the main store in Oxford Center during the late 1800s. He also owned large tracts of Oxford forest land which provided lumber for the railroad construction industry.

Later, his daughter, Ruth, operated the house as a restaurant and tea room, making it an important part of Oxford’s social scene.

Along with the house, visitors may view the barn and the old three-seater outhouse on the grounds. The house is now owned by Terry and James Tottenham.

The former Duncan home at 436 Oxford Road, a white clapboard house with a round porch built about 1800, is presently owned by Rick Morrison and Lisa Giordano.

Although the home has been remodeled and enlarged it still retains much of its original features. A fanlight lunette-shaped window in the attic and two of the original fireplaces still remain. The original window casings, banister, doors and hardware have been preserved.

The house is a mirror twin to the parsonage to Oxford Congregational Church, located next door. Visitors will also be able to visit the gardens which grace the back of the home.

The Moody Browne House at 35 Riggs Street was built about 1750. Mr Browne was a leader in the hatting industry in Oxford.  Between the Civil War period and the early 1920s, the home was the site of a blacksmith shop, millinery and a meat market.

The house has a central chimney and exposed ceiling beams. The doors and hardware are original, except for the front door, which added later in the house’s history. It is now owned by Roxanne and David Beard.

The old Buckingham homestead at 293 Riggs Street is located near Riggs Street School. Built about 1800, it features an unusual recessed doorway. It is now owned by Lisa Low and Michael Chapell.

The Oxford United Church of Christ Congregational was built by Timothy Candee for 675 pounds in 1795. Oxford Parish was set off as a separate congregation by the Colonial Legislature in 1741, more than half a century before the town was incorporated in 1798. The earliest records of Oxford’s settlement are those of the Congregational Church.

St Peter’s Episcopal Church was established in 1764 by the Rev Richard Mansfield, as a mission of St James Church in Derby. Rev Mansfield completed the longest Episcopalian pastorate in our country’s history, 72 years, encompassing the colonial, revolutionary and federal periods.

The present church building was built in 1834. Visitors can view the stained glass windows, which feature classical Christian symbols.

The tour is not handicapped accessible and requires walking. Tickets for the tour may be purchased in advance for $15. Tickets may be purchased before Wednesday, September 22, at the Oxford Town Hall Clerk’s office, in the Town Hall, 486 Oxford Road. They may also be purchased from the tour’s sponsor, William Pitt Real Estate, located at 101 Playhouse Corner in Southbury.

The society is also accepting ticket purchases via mail. Checks payable to Oxford Historical Society may be mailed to the historical society’s treasurer, Margaret Kutniewski, 1 Heather Lane, Oxford CT 06478. All mailed checks must be received before September 18.

Tickets on the day of the event may be purchased for $20 at The Mill, 10 Park Road in Oxford. The historical society will have a display of local history books and maps available for sale during the day of the tour.

Further tour information is available from Oxford Municipal Historian Dorothy DeBisschop (203-888-4159) or Historical Society President Sue Kopec (203-466-2677).